In rural Georgia, some Taylor County High School students have organized a Whites-only prom.

In part because of interracial dating, years ago the school had stopped sponsoring the prom and so parents and students organized separate proms, one for Blacks and the other for Whites.

It was only last year that the school had their very first integrated prom in 31 years.

Although there is a lack of unity among the high school students because of this year’s Whites-only party, an integrated party has been organized and many Whites are planning to attend.
Source

I thought segregation was a thing of the past, obviously I was wrong. What a pity that some people actually care about skin colour, so sad.

We have several things that are black only, why not white only too? We have college enrolment that favors blacks, jobs that favor blacks. No it ain't over and it may never be if we as a country choose to not talk about it.
In this country there is a racial divide between black and white, and it is not just the whites either. But we do not talk about it. I have white friends who do not want their children dating blacks, and I have black friends who do not want their children dating whites. You can call it what you want, and you can ignore it if you choose. But at least in this country the divide exists whether we want to talk about it or not. Studies show that in cases of strangers in a mall setting, blacks tend to talk to other blacks, while white are far more likely to strike up a conversation with another white. White families choose to live in predominately white neighborhoods while blacks choose their own too.
Should we pretend the divide does not exist?

Interesting argument Jax. A disgusting prejudice exists, so we shouldn't do anything about it?

As far as I am concerned, black and white are colours, I haven't seen any transparent people walking around.

Since it technically isn't a school-sponsored event, I'm not too disturbed by the segregated prom.

It probably would be best not to have backwards hillbillies at an integrated prom anyhow.

The questions of segregation and racism are a tough problem to deal with, because the issue can only be solved one person at a time, and that isn't fast enough for some people. You can't fix in a generation or two something that built up over 300 years including colonization, although I suspect that there are fewer net people who would qualify as racist at the end of the day than the day before. The fact is that the baby boomers were probably the first generation in the US to truly consider the possiblity that blacks should be equal. Humanity as always has work to do in order to get better as a group on this subject just like many others. Just so we try.

I take this part of your post to mean that you would feel differently if it were school sponsored. Why would it be different? If education, of any kind, does not begin at home, where does it begin?

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Since it technically isn't a school-sponsored event, I'm not too disturbed by the segregated prom.

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Who would make the call as to the definition of a 'backwards' hillbilly? Are they black, white, striped or purple? Can you give us your definition please?

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It probably would be best not to have backwards hillbillies at an integrated prom anyhow.

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Prejudice and ignorance go hand in hand, in my opinion. I remember, as a young child in the 50's, driving through the South and seeing water fountains marked "For Negroes Only" and "For Whites Only," among other signage. In 1966, attending an AFL/CIO event in Miami, Florida, I watched as 3/4 of the audience got up and left the auditorium when Sammy Davis, Jr. arrived on stage to perform! I am a native New Yorker and was absolutely disgusted and aghast at this insult. I wasn't raised that way but I've seen it all my life. As long as fear, ignorance and a total of lack of respect for other human beings prevails, there will be bigotry, hatred and intolerance in the world.

Australia is overall as a nation less of a racist society than most asian countries.The Aboriginal people in Australia have had a rough time of it to date I guess,though I,m not sure if thats due to racism or the fact that for 40,000 years their lifestyle remained the same then they were invaded by peoples that were dynamic.The Aboriginal view of private ownership was,and to a lesser degree still is,at odds with the white settlers view.The younger generations of Australians are far more tolerant of differences in cultures than my generation was,I,m only 37.Racism is fairly easy a word to throw around,I don`t consider myself to be a racist but I am getting sick and tired of reading,on a daily basis, about rapes,knife attacks,robberies,gang violence and various other crimes being committed by young men of "Middle Eastern Appearance".Does the fact that I,m wary of doing business with people matching this description make me a racist?.I don`t have any problems dealing with the woman as they have caused me no grief in the past either in private or business.If one group of people from one particular country is causing more than it`s fair share of strife does it not make sense to want to distance yourself from them,particularly if this one group has shown hatred,disdain and scorn to the laws of your country?Is it fair that until these people become assimilated into your society you must bear the brunt of the extra financial costs that comes with this "bloody marriage" of societies?I really wish the governments of the worlds would find solutions fast as I don`t want my kids to grow up in a world where young men feel they have to stick to their own racial groups.

Thee is still racism in the US, as indeed there is in practically every country on earth. It is a human predilection and will never be fully eradicated.

I think that affirmative action, far from working to eliminate racism, has in many ways exacerbated it, and indeed has split the Democratic party to a great extent. A VERY divisive issue and one that is on its face a double-edged sword. I hope the "reparations" furor (such as it is) does not work to provoke further disharmony.

Border, I would most definitely would feel different if it was a school-sponsored activity.

I feel public schools have no place endorsing racial segregation.

On the other hand, if any student decides to throw a party independent of the school, it is their prerogative to choose who they do or do not want to show up.

A “backwards hillbilly” refers to a mentality, not a color.

It is one who has decided to walk back into the woods instead of continuing to progress forward.

Deciding to hold an integrated prom last year was a great step forward but some backwards hillbillies may think otherwise. If they feel that way, I feel they are more than welcome to jump backward and continue their old ways.

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It is one who has decided to walk back into the woods instead of continuing to progress forward.

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No offence intended, but isn't that, by itself, a sort or prejudice statement?
Progress, to most of us, is a term we would define in context to Technological, scientific and 'material' advances etc.
If a person chooses not to accept this 'progress', it is his/her Prerogative.
In a way, we can't accept that person having a different point of view.

I am not sure what a hillybilly* (??? or whatever it is), is but if such a person doesn't break the 'law of the land', one shouldn't discriminate against him.

prejudices come in different forms; in the Western world, it's primarily color, in the Eastern world, it's religion (worse still, sub-categories between a religion).


On the school - individual part, I would agree with Lanni's viewpoint. As an organisation of the government (or as a representative of the people), it is imperative that the government do NOT endorse discriminations in any form.

But as an individual(or a group of individuals), it is his right to hold a function in any way he wants, as long as it meets the legal requirements.
It may not be a sign of discrimination. The person may be more comfortable with certain sections of the society. It may not his/their fault that all their friends happened to be a particular colour or religion.

*- residing in India, we are quite unfamiliar with this term.

Think "dalit", Ace.

Breaking News in the UK - A Curry House Restuarant has banned Asians from dining (THIS IS NOT A JOKE) because they demand far hotter food than the normal Brit. and that takes longer to prepare. As the owners are Asian (origin?) then the ban can't be seen as racist - or can you be racist against your own race?
I am totally against any segregation by race, colour or creed.

Cool, this is NOT the pre-Gandhi era when Untouchables (or Harijians or 'Dalits') problem was quite rampant.

Today, there are the ones having the last laugh. Thanks to a Indian Government reservation law (in 1990):

SC (Scheduled Caste): 15%
ST (Scheduled Tribes) : 3 - 10%
OBC (Other backward classes): 0- 10%
and a whole lot of other reservations on a regional basis, It is safe to say that nearly 40 - 50% of all posts (jobs, college admissions etc) in Government or quasi-government estabishments goes to these people.

Which leaves the ones with merit to go begging for Job...

(Eg For the admissions to IIM'S , If you were a fresher(General class), you needed 98.50 + percentile to get a call). If You were a fresher (SC), you could get a call with 85 percentile).

***EDIT***
With respect to Fosse's post, Is such a banning legally allowed in Britain? Let me see -
those curry house owners has to be Indians (Gujaratis)(a little prejudice does help us in making predictions )

If saying that they are backwards because they aren’t supporting the integrated prom is prejudice, then I am prejudiced.

To me, people don’t only progress materially, but also socially.

Those who have not advanced from their old ways have not progressed.

I’ve not said it isn’t their right to do so. However, it is true that I’m not morally open to the idea of taking a step backwards and resegregating prom.

(A hillbilly is an unrefined person.)

As sad is it may be, segregation is something that is sought out by the students of all races. I think it is normal to an extent that students of the same race/culture would seek out each other but one only has to look at our universities to understand how far the sentiment reaches. When I was in college, 1979-1982, we had one student union. On campuses today you will find an African-American Student Union, a Latino Student Union, an Asian Student Union, a Gay Student Union, etc...... These racial/cultural organizations were brought about by demand of the respective minority group, not the all-powerful white establishment. I'm afraid there will always be the desire to segregate in our society. The question one must ask is this- would we be equally offended if the black students organized a black prom? Would we be as understanding of white students that wanted to build an Anglo Student Union? We lack consistancy in our views of segregation and that also fuels resentment and a deepening distrust among the races. What I mean by this is that whites who voluntarily segregate themselves are labeled racists while blacks are applauded for trying to protect and celebrate their heritage. We must arrive at a consistant conclusion, either segregation is acceptable or it is not. In the end, I will agree with Lanni; the school prom probably went better without those who chose to segregate themselves.

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whites who voluntarily segregate themselves are labeled racists while blacks are applauded for trying to protect and celebrate their heritage.

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Thats the problem everywhere of being in a majority group in a democracy - anything they do will be seen in different light.

Unless the racial/cultural student unions you gave as examples don’t allow members of other racial/cultural backgrounds to be involved in their activities, I see a difference between those and segregated proms.

I’m not Irish, but you may find me at a St. Patrick’s Day party. I’m not Panamanian, but I do enjoy myself at Panamanian Day parades. I’m not African, but haven’t been thrown out of African festivals. I’m not gay, but I don’t think I’ll be kicked out of their parade in Manhattan.

Such things are typically put together to celebrate, discuss, and/or learn with or about a certain culture and are not typically exclusive to other cultures.

If a Black person wanted to take part in a Whites-only prom, would they be able to?

I have heard the argument about what if the news had said Taylor County High School was going to hold a Blacks-only prom after having just their first integrated prom last year.

Personally, I would feel the same.

It isn’t the color of the peoples’ skin that make this reprehensible.

...and if a woman hadn't called the establishment on their "Males Only" clubs, Colleges and Universities where would women be today?

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If a Black person wanted to take part in a Whites-only prom, would they be able to?

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If a woman wanted to attend school at West Point or the Citadel, would they have been able to? If she or a Jewish male wanted to join the NYAC (New York Athletic Club) would they have been able to? Well no, not then...but they fought it, and they won! As long as people do not fight for their right to be a part of anything at all they desire to be a part of, as human beings and citizens of the world, there will always be the "backward hillbilly" attitude. If people need to be forced to integration, then so be it. Attitudes don't change because of integration, but they have more of an opportunity to do so with it than without it. Should they be allowed? A resounding, YES! If you don't teach your children that bigotry is not acceptible then I don't know where we go from here!

The thing that I wonder about the people organizing the separate prom is why they are doing it deep down. Is it simply because there has always been one? Is it out of fear that an integrated prom will become confrontational? Or is it maybe that they are afraid that the integraded prom will be a success, and will lead their part of the world in directions they'd rather it not go. There are always people who gain and lose when change occurs, and it's struck me over the years that the would be losers spend a lot of time in a determined but usually futile effort to stop time.

I am Irish but this type of segregation bothers me. Why can't all people who celebrate the Irish walk down 5th Ave on St. Patrick's Day? There are all types of segegation see http://cbsnewyork.com/campaign/politicsny_story_061205520.html And don't forget all those signs in NYC in the late 1890's and early 1900's that said Irish don't need apply!

Certainly the media has sensationalised the ethnic background of criminals in Sydney Kuu no argument from me about that fact at all.Sells newspapers don`t it.It`s also a fact though that the appearance of a suspect in any crime is made public so the public can assist the police in apprehending the suspect,whether he is asian ,anglo or middle eastern.The leaders of the middle eastern communities in Sydney didn`t want the newspapers to describe any person who would fit this description to have their appearance described as such because they were fearful of a backlash.Are there so many crimes commited by people that match this description that the middle eastern communities were worried that there would be a backlash?The simple fact for me is that in the past 10 years I have noticed that with the moving to my particular part of sydney[I live in the Sutherland Shire]which was kinda separated from the rest of Sydney by two bridges, of families of middle eastern background there has been a rise in our local paper of crimes being reported as having been commited by people of middle eastern appearance.The synagogues have suddenly been defaced alot more and security guards have been employed by said synagogues.The young people that were filmed during the anti-war riots that caused the most violence were of middle eastern appearance.The gangs of young men that come to my quiet shire and become involved in fights are of middle eastern appearance.The bag-snatchers are described as being of middle eastern appearance in more cases that I read of than not.The travel insurance medical claims that I found to be fraudulent were certainly higher among people traveling to Lebanon than any other group.When the Vietnamese people first started to come to Australia in greater numbers there was an uproar and these people were described scornfully as "boat people",certainly the Greeks and Italians copped alot from the people already living in Australia as well,but I don`t recall roaming gangs of Greeks,Italians and Vietnamese causing people to be as concerned as they are at this time.In regards to my concern about anglo gangs,I certainly am concerned about any group or individual that commits crimes but I have never seen a single group that seems to have institutionalized crime into their society as much as the muslem Lebanese have in Sydney.The fact that the christian Lebanese have integrated without causing grief into Australia culture must be a relevant point. Interesting reading here Maybe not so interesting I can`t seem to link to this page.